Wiper blade replacement

[gasser]

Hi All,

I've searched the forum and found info about the various blades that fit but does anyone know how to fit them. I have a 2008 D3 and I'm not a complete idiot, but I just can't see how you can change the blades. It looks to me like you would need to change the whole arm assembly. I've changed hundreds of blades on various cars over the years but this has me stumped. :eek:
Any helpers out there?
Cheers.

[Tote]

Yep, You have to change the whole arm assy there is a bosch replacement but the numbers listed on the forum have changed.
Have a look here Bosch - Aerotwin Wiper Blades (http://www.bosch.com.au/content/language1/html/5534.htm)
That page also shows you how to fit

Regards,
Tote

[gasser]

Thanks very much for that. I'll source these and have a crack...

[trobbo]

I was about to ask the same question given my car is in for service with Sneigy today and they have quoted me a couple of hundred bucks to change the blades. :eek: I'm still trying to stand up after the quote to replace the steering rack and left lower ball joint and I figured they could wait - all things considered.



Thanks Tote

[powella]

I went to auto one last weekend picked up an aftermarket set for $52.00 (26 each)....

I think I still have the box in the carport.

Ap

[Tinman]

I have replaced the originals with a Bosch set. Which had now come to there end of service life. If you have this Bosch set and like to fiddle, you are able to pull the end cap off the blade assembly where you can easily pull out the old wiper blade rubber. From one of the auto accessory stores you can then purchase new rubbers for around 8-$10 dollars. The whole job taking about 15 minutes. To get your old assembly off there is a cover that swings up where your blade meets the wiper arm. The arm has a u shaped hook on the end. Once the cover is lifted and the arm is held off the windscreen slide the blade back towards the arm. It might need a small amount of pressure. Installation is the reverse of removal .
Cheers Tinman

[oldsalt]

These work very well, and the dollar at the moment makes it a pretty good deal. I've got 'em on my D3 and my wife's Honda - Silblade - The Ultimate Wiper Blades from SPE - Specialty Products Enterprise, LLC (http://www.silblade.com/index.cfm)

[sniegy]

I was about to ask the same question given my car is in for service with Sneigy today and they have quoted me a couple of hundred bucks to change the blades. :eek: I'm still trying to stand up after the quote to replace the steering rack and left lower ball joint and I figured they could wait - all things considered.



Thanks Tote
Its not fun trying to quote someone the ridiculous price of a set of blades, But we dont set the price !;)

Tony, Did you make sure there was nothing sharp around you when you were quoted :p

[trobbo]

I did, but when I told the wife I had to run. $5000 in servicing costs in 6 months is getting expensive and the next one wont be any better with timing belts needing to be repaced. :(....

but how do you get the old wiper blades off so you can replace them with one of the options identified above? I did all the work on my old D1 but this one has got me.

[bbyer]

Not wanting to purchase a new windscreen as well, whenever I change wiper blades, I insert a waded up coat or blanket under the wiper arm area.

I find that removing the second blade is relatively easy, but the first one is always a challenge regardless of how many previous times I have changed blades. I seem to forget the technique every time.

Anyway, the waded up coat absorbs the effects of the wiper arm slamming back down when I finally get it right and to my surprise, unlatch the blade and the wiper arm gets away on me.

A wiperless arm does spring back down with quite a wap - and it is effectively a point force onto the glass.

[sniegy]

I did, but when I told the wife I had to run. $5000 in servicing costs in 6 months is getting expensive and the next one wont be any better with timing belts needing to be repaced. :(....

but how do you get the old wiper blades off so you can replace them with one of the options identified above? I did all the work on my old D1 but this one has got me.
Trobbo,
Lift the blade away from the screen a little & feel under the rear section towards the arm, you will feel a little tab, push this in & slide the blade down towards the screen & lift away.
I tried to d/load some pic's hopefully this helps.

Cheers

[paulk]

This may be of interest. Received it today.
BTW what is the forum's opinion when it comes to replacing - genuine LR or aftermarket?
I have a Discovery II

[101RRS]

As my drivers side blade makes a huge amount of noise and does not wipe all that well I thought I would have a look at this thread.

This thread is a joke isn't it? Why design a wiper that needs special blades and costs a fortune to replace - I normally need to replace my blades on my cars every six months or so because of the crud that gets stuck under them so this is going to get expensive - why did Land Rover over design (as usual) something as simple as wiper blades - afterall they do not work any better than any other vehicle I have had.

So I guess the cheapest option in the long term is to get the Bosch blades and when they have worn out, take out the rubber and replace it with the inserts.

I guess this another example of cars becoming more complex for the sake of becoming more complex when perfectly good solutions have existed for years.

Garry

[paulk]

You might want to try some suppliers on the net. Prices seem pretty good.

[Tote]

The cheaper bosch blades also fit the Land Rover arms. I've been running them for the last few months and they seem to work OK. Same part as a BA Falcon as my old blades fit my wife's car. ( had to fit them when hers stuck to the screen and bent)

Regards,
Tote

[bbyer]

I think whether a wiper blade is good or not depends upon where the vehicle is being driven.

I think a cold climate requires one kind of blade "rubber" compound and a warm wet climate needs a different rubber compound for optium effectiveness.

The factory Land Rover blade is therefore by design, a compromise solution - a best attempt to create a blade that works worldwide.

I find that the Aerofoil brand Reflex blade seems better than the factory blade for winter conditions here in Canada, but that does not mean it would be a good blade design or has a good rubber compound suitable for tropical areas.

It is the same as for tyres, a good tyre design for the arctic is not necessarily a good tyre for the desert.

[bbyer]

I think whether a wiper blade is good or not depends upon where the vehicle is being driven.

I think a cold climate requires one kind of blade "rubber" compound and a warm wet climate needs a different rubber compound for optium effectiveness.

The factory Land Rover blade is therefore by design, a compromise solution - a best attempt to create a blade that works worldwide.

I find that the Aerofoil brand Reflex blade seems better than the factory blade for winter conditions here in Canada, but that does not mean it would be a good blade design or have a good rubber compound suitable for tropical areas.

It is the same as for tyres, a good tyre design for the arctic is not necessarily a good tyre for the desert.

[trobbo]

The large wiper blade found on the D3 is not unique to LR and you will find them on many euro cars plus as I spied yesterday the new prado.

Anyways, not being real happy at having to spend somewhere between $50 & $130 each time I wanted to replace wiper blades, I went for a walk around auto barn yesterday and picked up a single complete 22 inch wiper assembly for $14.00.

After the first trial fit one end of the blade did not touch the windscreen. Obviously the D3 screen has too much curve and hence the expensive blades. Well with a little bit of encouragement the assembly had a bit more of a curve to it and the blade now touches across it's length.

A test wipe with the washers and it appears to work perfectly. I will wait for our next proper rain storm before reporting finally, however with a $28.00 modification I think I can now go back to appropriately priced wiper blade replacements. What's more is if I ever feel the need to fit expensive wiper blades again I can do so and no-one will ever know.

[drivesafe]

Hi garrycol, I had the problem with noisy wipers about 12 years ago on my D1 and after some research, I got in contact with Shelly’s technical section where a very learned techie told me “never use Wash-N-Wax products on a vehicle because the wax builds up on the glass and in the case of the windscreen, this causes the wiper noise".

I have also found tree sap has the same effect.

In both cases a lot of elbow grease and a combination of soapy steel wool pads and something like Jiff paste cleaner and scratch the crap off the glass. Don’t worry, you won’t mark the glass.

As for wiper blades, after two sets of genuine blades that lasted no time at all, I got my hands on some truck wiper blades and did a bit of fiddling and they fit the existing LR blade arms and at $9 a pair, I don’t care if they had a short life, but they lasted fine.

[Graeme]

I ditched My D4's original blades quite early and replaced them with ones from an auto outlet - a straight swap and silence is golden!

[oldsalt]

Try cleaning your windscreen with "Auto Glym" car glass polish ... it's very good.

[Mike_S]

Guys, check out Goodyear wiper blades, I have them on my RRS. Identical to the LR version but only £6 each over here for the 22" blade, they clip straight into the U-bend on the arm. RRS's rip through blades like they're going out of fashion (well mine does, had to change the drivers side yet again yesterday) so I have a stock of blades in the garage, at that price I couldn't resist. If you have Costco, they have them.

[trobbo]

A test wipe with the washers and it appears to work perfectly. I will wait for our next proper rain storm before reporting finally, however with a $28.00 modification I think I can now go back to appropriately priced wiper blade replacements. What's more is if I ever feel the need to fit expensive wiper blades again I can do so and no-one will ever know.

Had a bit of rain over the last 24 hours, nothing tropical but enough to keep the wipers going continuously. The wiping capacity is satisfactory but I have noticed some noise when the wiper arm reaches the end of it's travel and changes direction. You all will know the noise, just think back to using the wipers in your car in the 90's. It's not intrusive but having been without it for some years now you do notice it when you go back to the older style of wiper.

[wyperfield]

I went to Supercheap Auto today and picked up a set of front and rear wipers for my D3.
Unlike Repco who I also went to, they had a listing on the D3.

The front ones were Tridon TFB22H/550mm (22") at $70/pair.
The original ones came off nicely and the Tridon ones fitted easily as well, once I looked at the instructions to figure which way to put them on. I did that outside the shop.

The rear one was a standard 6.5mm metal rail type, that I had to cut to size at home and it cost $13.

Both of them fit the windows and clean perefectly.

[Discophil]

I Just picked up a pair of these wiper replacements as well and they work a treat - very easy to install! One problem now is when i go to squirt the windscreen to test them, the water pressure in the jets is so weak the water only just makes it to the windscreen from one jet and the other doesn't even get that far. I filled the wiper fluid resevoir but it made no difference. Any ideas on what the problem might be would be greatly appreciated.:confused:

[trobbo]

the water pressure in the jets is so weak the water only just makes it to the windscreen from one jet and the other doesn't even get that far. I filled the wiper fluid resevoir but it made no difference. Any ideas on what the problem might be would be greatly appreciated.:confused:

sounds like the jets may be blocked. stick a pin in the jet to clear the blockage and see if that helps. What is the pressure like for the head light washers?

[Discophil]

Thanks Trobbo. I only have an S so no headlight washers. Will try the pin, although i am concerned it may be the pump or a main line given both jets (total of 4 holes) seems to be blocked. The rear one seems to be working fine.

[trobbo]

If that fails then I have also found that if you drive really really fast then the water hits the windscreen with much more force :angel: :wasntme:

[Disco4SE]

Have my Disco booked in for rear brakes and enquired about the price to replace the wiper blades. The price was $115.00.
Considering that they have lasted 55,000 Klm's, I dont think thats too much to pay to have them replaced. I was informed by the dealer that others that have sourced after market wiper blades, have gone back to LR ones, as they just don't last.
Interested to find out others opinions on this.
Cheers, Craig

[Graeme]

I replaced the ones on my D4 very early with the old style blades & holders. Now more than 12 months later they're still doing the job quietly so at $26.50 they have well and truly earned their keep.

[101RRS]

I went to Supercheap Auto today and picked up a set of front and rear wipers for my D3.
Unlike Repco who I also went to, they had a listing on the D3.

The front ones were Tridon TFB22H/550mm (22") at $70/pair.
The original ones came off nicely and the Tridon ones fitted easily as well, once I looked at the instructions to figure which way to put them on. I did that outside the shop.

The rear one was a standard 6.5mm metal rail type, that I had to cut to size at home and it cost $13.

Both of them fit the windows and clean perefectly.

And next time you need to replace your blades you can just get the rubber blades not the whole lot.

Garry

[RoverLander]

I went to Supercheap Auto today and picked up a set of front and rear wipers for my D3.
Unlike Repco who I also went to, they had a listing on the D3.

The front ones were Tridon TFB22H/550mm (22") at $70/pair.
The original ones came off nicely and the Tridon ones fitted easily as well, once I looked at the instructions to figure which way to put them on. I did that outside the shop.

The rear one was a standard 6.5mm metal rail type, that I had to cut to size at home and it cost $13.

Both of them fit the windows and clean perefectly.

I went to Supercheap today and these were $24.98 each blade and easily fitted straight on D4 front wipers. They make the wiper arm sit a little higher above the windscreen. Will see how they go once we get a bit more rain.